Delegates digest Slow Food offerings

DELEGATES from around the country and a number from Italy enjoyed lunch in the sunshine on a break from a busy schedule during the Slow Food Australia National Meeting at Noosa Outrigger Resort on Friday.

Noosa hosted the annual meeting - themed Good, Clean, Fair Food for All - over the three-day weekend which included activities as varied as a hinterland safari, a bush tucker cruise on the Noosa River, low carbon footprint dinners and a jam-packed schedule of talks and discussions from national and international delegates.

Noosa Slow Food President Erika Hackett said Noosa was the perfect location to host the annual global meeting as it fitted in with the aim of highlighting the importance of positive food choices that promote good health, protect local environments, build social networks and support local growers.

"A key part of our conference program is to showcase our local producers who encapsulate the key ingredients of the Slow Food philosophy - good, clean and fair food," she said. "We want to highlight what we are doing in this region to our national and international guests and spread awareness of positive food choices."

General Secretary of Slow Food International, Paolo di Croce, flew from Italy for the three-day conference.

"It is important to know that Slow Food works locally (with branches) around the world and we are all trying to do something about attitudes to food consumption and production at a local level while at the same time we talk to the UN, the EU and Washington," he said.

Guest speakers included Dr Andrew Monk, Dr. Sarah Lantz and Dr Rosemary Stanton, and covered topics from 'politics of labelling food' to 'industrial food and the importance of getting back to real food.'